May is supposed to be Mental Health Month, but don't tell that to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. His campaign hit a new low last week when outgoing Land Commissioner (and Dewhurst campaign surrogate) Jerry Patterson released documents showing that state Sen. Dan Patrick had once sought voluntary mental health treatment.

Dewhurst should be ashamed. This pathetic attempt at attacking a political opponent scrapes the bottom of the barrel. Worse, it undermines hard-fought efforts to remove the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment. A man vying to be one of our state's leaders should show parents, children, soldiers and veterans that there is nothing wrong with asking for help.

Seeking a "pathway to wellness," as Mental Health America calls it, is already fraught with enough barriers. Questions of access and funding make it difficult enough for Texans to find the mental health treatment that they need. The last thing our state should hear is a political megaphone lambasting a man for doing the right thing.

Patrick's campaign acted judiciously when it responded to the desperate attacks by stating that, yes, he sought treatment decades ago for depression and exhaustion. It is a sign of strength that Patrick did not avoid the issue, but addressed it straight on. He has set a proud example for the thousands, if not millions, of Texans who suffer in silence.

It is also a sign that this political fight is about anything but the actual issues facing our state. We still believe that Patrick's skills and worldview make him the wrong candidate to lead the Texas Senate. Dewhurst remains our choice.

But in this situation, Patrick was the better man, and he deserves to see those words written in black and white. We hope his actions set an example for other Texans, and we hope this is the last anyone sees of such an inappropriate political attack.